In the wake of birth and betrayal, Ushna takes the God Ashur to Tristan in a last desperate bid to save Tristan's life—and is helpless to do anything but watch as Ashur instead buries him in a grave. Though he has no desire to go on living, having now lost Brian and Tristan, Ushna has no choice. Not only do their children need him, the mysterious Simurgh has come out of hiding and forces him to continue on—for there is much to do and little time to do it, especially with treachery and danger closing in on them from every side.

The God Ashur followed behind me carrying Tristan, whose
body was battered and broken. The cry of our newborn pups preceded me. Their
birth was supposed to be a wondrous occasion, but through treachery and lies,
that was stolen from us. Instead of enjoying the happy moment, I feared Tristan
was dying.

There was so much blood. The damage to his body
overwhelmed my senses. I was afraid if I didn't keep my eyes on him, if I
turned my back for a second too long, his Flame would slip away. We ran through
the cursed caverns that wouldn't allow me to touch my wolf or feel the song of
the earth. Ashur's harsh commands to hurry spurred me on faster but I had to
look behind me, I had to see with my own eyes that Tristan was still with us,
still fighting.

The scars… I couldn't care less but Tristan might. I
vowed I would spend the rest of my life showing him how beautiful he was to
me—but first we had to get him out into the open.

I glanced back. "Hurry, Ashur."

The corridor seemed much longer than when we'd come in.
Glancing over my shoulder again to ensure Ashur followed closely, my impatience
caused a snarl to rumble in my throat. Tristan's skin was a gray-blue, stark
and sickly against Ashur's rich mahogany tone. With every passing moment, we
were losing him.

"Please." I don't know if I begged Ashur to go
faster or if it was a plea to the Gods to spare Tristan's life.

When we entered the darkened corridor carved from the
bedrock, I heard Tristan sigh. For months, he'd been teaching me how to listen
to the Earth and I could practically feel her rush to him. I climbed the
stairs, my foot slipping on the wet step in my hurry to get outside.

The open air had never smelled so good, filling my lungs
with the scents of life. My wolf stirred, frantic for our mate. I reached to
take Tristan from Ashur, but he dodged my grasp, moving off to the side. His
low voice had a musical tone as he chanted in a language I didn't recognize and
next to him, a hole formed in the ground.

"What are you doing? You said all we had to do was
get him outside!" Why was Ashur not singing the song for healing? I
reached again to take Tristan from Ashur's arms. Tristan was teaching me the
complex chant, but Ashur was Tristan's tutelary. He knew what to ask the Earth
for and how. Why was he not begging her to save Tristan's life? She wouldn't
say no. She'd never say no to Tristan because she adored him.

It took a moment for the haze of my frantic thoughts to
subside enough to realize Ashur was talking and then another for me to process
the meaning of his words. What did he mean he couldn't restore Tristan's
health?

With rising alarm, I said, "You've been teaching him
how to sing to the Earth. Why can't you do that now?"

Ashur dodged me, laying Tristan in the hole atop the dark
loamy soil. Something eased in me seeing Tristan in contact with the ground,
although the Earth didn't rush up to him as I'd expected. She never missed an
opportunity to touch him… until now. Instead, I felt power build until my bones
ached and the snakes on my chest writhed in discomfort.

Staring down, I searched for the source of the energy,
sure that at any moment, whatever it was would show itself. My gaze continued
to return to Tristan with his ruined eyed, his torso ravaged and gaping. Never
had I seen him so vulnerable, so small, the very sight calling to the caretaker
within me.

Tearing my gaze away, I confronted Ashur who was pleading
with me. "I teach him the songs but She doesn't respond to me."

An ancient sadness shone in Ashur's visage but I didn't
care. I had trusted him to save Tristan. Never before had I been filled with
such useless rage. I didn't understand what Ashur was saying. Who was he
talking about? The Earth? He was the king's tutelary, so why wouldn't the Earth
answer his call?

Desperation rose up and I barked, "Why the fuck
not?"

"Because I took the wrong side in a war, now I'm
forever separated from Her."

What did that have to do with the here and now? What did
it matter he'd lost something or someone? My Tristan was dying and all he could do was talk. Ashur's pleading gaze held mine
and I suddenly understood. I glanced back down at Tristan, lying in a bed of
fresh dark soil.

A grave.

"No! You cannot mean to do this. He's not
dead!" I jumped into the hole; Tristan's single eye stared at me with
clarity, despite the state of his body. His chest rose and fell with each
labored breath. There was still time. I could save him.

With the strength of the God he was, Ashur wound his arms
around my waist and easily hauled me away from Tristan.

I went mad.

I fought, screamed and begged. First Brian and now
Tristan. How was I to stay behind? I pleaded with Ashur to allow me to go with
Tristan. We'd travelled through the Earth together before, we could do it
again. I could sing to the Earth and beg for Her help.

It wasn't too late.

Then Ashur chanted and the soil covered Tristan, taking
him from my sight. I roared with fury, thrashing and clawing at Ashur's hands.
I vowed vengeance for this act of betrayal. Silently, Ashur held me as I beat
and wailed upon him, trying to free myself from his steely grasp. He whispered
continuously, "I am sorry but this had to be done," in my ear. Tears
of grief stained my cheeks and I hated him all the more because it didn't have
to be like this. He had no right to take Tristan from me.

Lexi has always
been an avid reader, and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother’s
romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she
knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note
book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved
to see their reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the
Midwest with her Yankee husband and her eighty-pound puppies named after vacuum
cleaners.

The
Tablets of Destinies are a part of the earliest Sumerian culture from when the
Annu first entered the Valley between the two rivers. They are sometimes
described as made of clay and other times made of bronze. Being in possession
of the tablets gave your army an edge in battle and often brought the holder
victory.

Originally,
Tiamat possessed the Tablets of Destinies. Before Kingu went into battle
against the other gods, she gave them to him. Bearing them into the conflict
was supposed to increase his chances of winning and she strapped them to his
chest like a breastplate saying, "Whatsoever goes
forth from your mouth shall be established." Only Kingu didn't win.

There are contradictory texts about who smote Tiamat and captured
Kingu. Some say Enki, others Enlil, and then finally Marduk. After that, the
impression was that he who wore the tables had established the right to rule
the gods. Over the centuries, many tried to steal them from whoever held them
at the time. The tablets became the center of many famous battles in Sumerian
times but what were the tablets, really?

It was believed they were three discs that were from the tree of
life, both not from earth but having always been a part of humanity. The
cylinders had holes through the middle where the user slid them onto an axle.
The Tablets of Destinies represented great wisdom, holding the "fate"
or the "future" of the each individual who touched them. Upon them
were written the secrets of the universe. They held the past, the future, and
the present and when combined with the waters of Abzu they told the fate of man.

So here's a question for the readers. If Marduk has the Tablets of
Destinies, will their power allow him to keep Tiamat's children shackled? Would
there be a way for Tristan to get the upper hand to do what he vowed in Surrounded by Crimson?

A
huge thank you for allowing me to be a guest on the blog today! Throughout the
blog tour for Dragon's Eye, I hope
you enjoy the behind the scenes look at the gods and mythos, and how they play
a part in Sumeria's Sons. For a visual representation, please visit my
Pinterest page. (https://www.pinterest.com/lexiander1/sumeria-sons-inspirations/) During the
tour I discuss the Sumerian pantheon, about who and what the Gods/Goddess are,
and how I use them. Make sure you stop by the other blogs to get a complete
look at the Gods and Goddess the Lycan's follow.

Also,
Less Than Three Press is running a special sale on Sumeria's Sons from September
23rd through October 7th
(dates inclusive).

Torn between following my pups and the
need to stay with Tristan, I stood there. Jory veered away from the group, one
of the newborns swaddled in his jacket. Without hesitating, he thrust the babe at
me. Instinctually I took the boy from him, afraid Jory would drop him. Peering
into the folds, my breath was stolen away with one look at the child Tristan
and I created.

Gently
grasping my elbow, Jory led me down the pathway. Vaguely I realized Juan and
Michael had joined me within the protective circle of warriors; I was too enthralled
with my first real look at my pup. Sure, I'd been there when they were born,
but my attention had been for Tristan. My heart twisted with a new pain. In any
other circumstance, I would've memorized every single moment of their birth.

Writing Schedule — 2018

About Me

Hey and welcome to my M/M blog!
My published name is M.A. Church, but I also wrote as nomoretears00. I'm a true Southern belle who spent many years in the elementary education sector. Now I spend my days lost in fantasy worlds, arguing with hardheaded aliens on far-off planets, herding my numerous shifters, or trying to tempt my country boys away from their fishing poles. It’s a full time job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it! When not writing, I'm exploring the latest M/M novel to hit the market, watching my beloved Steelers, or sitting glued to HGTV. That’s if I'm not on the back porch tending to the demanding wildlife around the pond in the backyard. The ducks are very outspoken. I'm married to my high school sweetheart, and we have two grown children.